Ford and Amazon to Offer Remote Start From the Home

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Ford Mark Fields

Ford announced it will team up with Amazon’s Echo –a popular Bluetooth speaker that lets you control home functions by voice– to let the Amazon Echo remote start your car by voice.

You can say “Ask my Ford to start,” or “Please ask my Ford to check the battery status in my car.”

Amazon Echo
Amazon Echo

Conversely, from inside the car, you can remotely turn on the lights in your home or, when still a distance away, open the garage door.

Amazon said the $180 Echo was one of its top selling products over the holidays.  The speaker uses Amazon’s voice app called Alexa so you can ask Alexa to play music, check the weather or turn on the TV and start the coffeemaker. Here’s a quick review of it by Wired.

Ford CEO Mark Fields, speaking on the eve of CES in Las Vegas, said Amazon’s remote start capability will be available later this year.

Ford announced in November it will start providing remote start from a smartphone in 2016, with 5 years of free service, beginning on the 2017 Ford Escape.  It announced last week that this feature will be enabled by a 4G modem provided on vehicles with the SYNC 3 infotainment platform.  Users may also remotely unlock doors, and view where their vehicle is parked. Drivers can also check fuel levels on their phone and see tire pressure and battery levels.

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